Archive for Vegetables

Vegetables are so important for a diet because of their many health benefits. They may reduce the risk for heart disease, heart attack, certain types of cancers, obesity, type 2 diabetes, kidney stones, and decrease bone loss.

So many nutrients are packed into just a small amount of vegetables. They do not contain cholesterol and are always low in fat and calories. Some of the power nutrients they contain are potassium, dietary fiber, folate (folic acid), vitamin A and vitamin C.

St. Patrick’s Day is a holiday known for leprechauns, shamrocks and all things green. Each year, thousands of Irish Americans gather on St. Patrick’s Day to share a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage. Cabbage doesn’t just go with corn beef; it is an extremely healthy food that is rich in nutrition and fiber. Cabbage isn’t the only green food that is healthy for you. In fact, most leafy greens are packed with beta carotene, iron, calcium, and vitamin C, A, B6, and E.

A green food that is heart healthy and helps fight high cholesterol is avocado. Avocados are a great source of monounsaturated fat, a type of fat that may actually help raise HDL cholesterol while lowering LDL. And, more than any other fruit, this tasty food packs cholesterol-smashing beta-sitosterol, a beneficial plant-based fat that reduces the amount of cholesterol absorbed from food.

Other nourishing greens include asparagus, artichokes, basil, broccoli, green apples, green beans, celery, cucumber, dandelion, honeydew melon, green pears, peas, spinach, and zucchini. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants. It also contains flavonoids, a class of naturally occurring plant compounds that function as antioxidants that are good for the heart.

Why not give greens a try? They are a great spring cleanser and they pack a substantial nutritional punch. So, it’s the perfect time to buy and eat greens!

If you’ve eaten a carrot lately, you ate a bunch of carotenoids. But don’t worry; they aren’t a type of plant bug. Instead, carotenoids are healthy nutrients found in orange colored fruits and vegetables. These nutrients act as antioxidants to protect our eyes and decrease the risk of some cancers and chronic diseases such as heart disease and stroke.

Carrots have several types of carotenoids including alpha-carotene and beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is also found in other yellow and orange vegetables such as squash, sweet potatoes and pumpkins. Beta-carotenes convert to vitamin A in the body.

Vitamin A is often considered a great “eye” vitamin. It is linked to improved vision and protection against macular degeneration. Vitamin A helps fight off viruses and bacteria by stimulating white blood cell production and activity. Vitamin A is also linked to healthy skin and reduced acne breakouts.

But don’t reach for supplements for your carotene fix since whole and real foods provide the best sources of carotenes. Instead eat more orange and reach for a carrot or munch on one serving of vegetables from the Freschef chicken picatta meal and get 110% of the daily recommended amounts of vitamin A.

Red, orange and yellow colors in vegetables and fruits derive from pigments called carotenoids. Carotenoids represent a variety of antioxidants and phytonutrients (phyto from the word plant).

One of the most common red carotenoids is lycopene. Lycopene is a key carotenoid in a healthful diet. Foods high in lycopene are linked to lower risks of certain types of cancer and improved eye and heart health. Some research also indicates that lycopene is associated with reduced build up of plaque in the arteries (atherosclerosis.)

Vegetables highest in lycopene are red tomatoes, particularly sun-dried tomatoes. When foods containing lycopene are heated or mechanically processed, the lycopene’s bioavailability increases so that your body can make more use of it. For example, sun-dried tomatoes have more than 16 times the lycopene than raw tomatoes for the same quantity by weight.

The table below shows the different amounts of lycopene measured in micrograms per gram. Even though some of the foods are very high in lycopene, you may not want to eat large amounts of these foods. While tomatoes have only 2,767 mcg and Russian dressing has 3,576 mcg of lycopene, this is equal to eating one tomato at 30 calories compared to 7 tablespoons of dressing at 355 calories. Better to just eat 2 tomatoes and save nearly 300 calories to get the same amount of lycopene. Be aware also that there are many colors of tomatoes, but only red tomatoes have measurable amounts of lycopene. Use the following table to help your body get the lycopene it needs and eat more red!

Measureable Levels of Lycopene

Very High levels

Mcg of Lycopene per 100 grams

Sun-dried tomatoes

45,902

Canned tomatoes or paste

28,764

Ketchup

16,709

Canned tomato sauce

13,979

Tomato juice

9,037

High Levels

Pink guava, raw

5,204

Watermelon

4,532

Canned tomatoes, stewed

4,088

Russian salad dressing*

3,576

Thousand Island dressing*

3,098

Whole tomatoes, raw

2,767

Moderate levels

Pink or red grapefruit, raw

1,419

Red sweet peppers, sautéed

484

Red sweet peppers, raw

308

Low levels

Chili powder

21

Red cabbage

20

Cinnamon powder

15

Source: USDA Nutrient Data laboratory

*Russian dressing and Thousand Island dressing should have tomato based products in them, but these are very calorie intense ways to eat tomato products.